The courtship dance of the peacock spider

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These tiny jumping spiders are surprisingly cute up close, and have some really beautiful coloring. But I can't help but hear the narration from Rob's video of the common douche playing in my head during parts of this.

More than 800 American energy and Earth science researchers have signed a letter to Donald Trump outlining six steps they’re urging him to take to address human-caused climate change to protect “America’s economy, national security, and public health and safety.” The letter is accompanied by a public change.org petition to “Tell Trump To #ActOnClimate.” Here […]

James Delingpole is an invective-hurling anti-climate science columnist who has candidly admitted that he doesn’t bother to read scientific papers, calling himself a “an interpreter of interpretations.”

Kratom (previously) is a widely used herb that has been very effective in treating opioid withdrawal and other chronic, hard-to-treat conditions — it also became very controversial this year because the DEA decided, without evidence, to class it as a dangerous drug, and then changed its mind (unprecedented!) after a mass-scale petition that included interventions […]

The Boing Boing Store’s Gift Guide is full of ideas for pretty much anyone in your life like hipster ice cub trays, Xbox controllers, Halo Boards, and even diamond necklaces. As always, all products in the Boing Boing Store come at great discounts, too. Shop by price bucket starting at under $20. Under $20:Bloxx Jumbo Ice Trays […]

Unlike traditional lighters, the SaberLight features an electronic plasma beam that’s both rechargeable and butane-free. This sleek lighter is even approved by TSA, so you’ll never be stuck buying lighters you’ll just have to throw away partially used. For some people, like me, this is a pretty big game-changer. The SaberLight’s beam is actually both hotter and cleaner […]

Holiday shopping is in full swing, and the Striiv Touch is one of the best gift ideas I’ve landed on. Its simple design works for females and males, and its wide range of features makes it suitable for even the non-fitness enthusiasts in your life.Unlike traditional fitness trackers, the Striiv Touch also acts as a smartwatch. It […]

Notice how fast these guys are? Even on film they simply disappear between frames. They move so fast they’re invisible to the naked eye – just like The Flash! It’s mostly done with hydraulics: valves are pre-set in the joints and then, when it’s time to make the planned move a bladder in the tummy is squeezed to zip off at the speed of sound. There’s another spider that can vibrate into invisibility in place in its web. That’s OK against those with only two eyes but their nemesis Hunting Wasp has too many eyes to fool that way: at any given moment at least a couple of dozen eyes will be firing.

Wow, what a stunning display! The mating dance can be such a pretty thing. Sadly, though, this isn’t always so. (Take your pick of examples.) I nearly lost my lunch yesterday, sitting in the garden, *minding my own business,* when these two mosquitoes dropped down in front of me, anus to anus, obviously drunk, woozy and weaving through the air, shameless in their disgusting, unwelcome, public display of reproduction. Vile little beasts without a thought beyond sex, and sucking blood. Enough to make a girl long for the days of municipal malathion treatments. (Actually, no. Herbal Armor does the trick, I’ve just yet to stock up for the swarm season that is, apparently, immediately upon us.)